The Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas North Reviews & Ratings

Best beach - uncrowded with great swimming and snorkeling. Amazing, friendly staff that go above and beyond. In the winter with a rainbow over the mountains behind you and whales breaching in front of you - it truly is a magical place.

The staff was very friendly and efficient. The bed was nothing special to me and gave me neck problems. The resort is excellant. Prices are an initial shock but over time became normal for the area.

We stayed here last August and fell in love. The resort is beautiful and you can't ask for a better location. Can't wait to come back!

We've been to lots of places, but honestly, this has to be our favorite vacation resort. We love the great snorkling just steps from the rooms. We've seen turtles, eels, puffer fish and all kinds of other tropical fish. We even saw some dolphins while walking on the shore. Free shuttle service from the resort to lots of dining and shopping places make it so convenient. The rooms are spacious and have everything you could want from a timeshare condo - very luxurious and comfortable. It's so great to have the fully stocked kitchen and washer/dryer. Our kids LOVE the water slide and the pirate ship children's pool. Can't say enough about this place! I don't see how anyone could rate it anything less than the full 5 stars.

We stayed for spring break and was wonderful. You could see the dolphins from the resort. My wife went to the spa and the fitness center was very nice. We used the shuttle service to go to Lamina which runs every half hour and 15 min to Sheraton/Westin to snorkel at Black Rock. The large Jacuzzi tub and Heavenly beds made it a 5 Star stay.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this resort. I went for the first time this past May with my husband and two children (3 and 9). We were guests of my parents who own two weeks there. The entire week I was kicking myself for not joining my parents sooner as they have owned for several years. The snorkeling just outside our room was amazing. My nine year old and I could not wait to get out and see the fish every day. Both kids loved the pools especially the big water slide. The rooms were perfect. We loved the beds and the huge bathroom. Everything was so amazing that we bought two weeks as soon as we got home. I can't wait to go back.

I have no idea as to why some people rate this property as they do. I have stayed at both the south and north properties. I own 3 three timeshares at the north property and am considering purchasing another. I have stayed at these properties during various months and have never even slightly smelled sewer gas. I reserve my room at the earliest time allowed and have always received what I requested. The resort is exceptionally clean, the staff pleasant and the grounds immaculate. Parking is free and easy to get in and out of the resort. The beach is great, snorkeling within 6 feet from the sand (better than Black rock), not overcrowded etc.. The rooms are top notch, large bathrooms, the best beds you could ever sleep in, nice lanai's, washer/dryer, full size appliances etc.. I have never stayed at the Marriott Ocean Club properties but am familiar with the ground layout. The Marriott does have nice grounds but the beach is non-existent and rocky. Give this property a try, you won't be dissapointed, although some people are never happy.

We had an ocean front 1BR suite in March 2009, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The living room is a bit small, but very nicely decorated and functional. No noise at all, great views from the second floor, staff very attentive. Watched the whales during the day and sunsets in the evening from nice balcony. Perfect bathroom, great bed. Now that the resort is finished, everything seems to be working great. This was a Spring Break holiday week, so the place was full, but we had no problem finding chairs at the pool and the beach is wonderful. The parking garage is a plus, once you figure out the easiest way to get there; sign postings could be better. Prices at the beachside bar/restaurant are reasonable, though menu choices are modest. Very nice to be able to use all the facilities at the South resort next door; good variety. All in all, a great experience.

I am currenly sitting in our 2 Bdrm exchanged unit. We are next to the main highway which has terrible traffic noise 24 hours a day. Next to us is, also, construction which begins every morning at 06:00. The housekeeping is below average. Upon check-in, the unit was not cleaned. It took 4 calls before we gave up. The staff is front office staff is excellent, but there is little follow through. Lastly, the Conceriege service offered to book a Luau at the Hyatt; the stated they had a block of seats each night. When I went to the Hyatt, they stated this was not correct. The direct pricing was $10 per seat less than quoted at the Westin. Overall rating is very poor; I will not stay here again. Marriott is much nicer.

We (2 women) stayed in 2 different one bedroom units for 2 weeks, Jan. 31 - Feb. 14, 2009. Ocean View room in building 7 was wonderful, 6th floor. Ocean Front in building 8 2nd floor also very nice. We love this resort..it has every thing and something for every one. To briefly respond to some comments: Red dust on the lanais is common...Maui is full of blowing red dust. Only replanting the sugar cane will cure it, it comes down from the mountains and only rain will wash it away. The "ugly" hallways that are not carpeted are designed to allow the windows to be open to circulate air and to let the rain (and dust) into areas that do not have unit entrances. This resort was built to be earth friendly as well as a luxury type resort, some compromises are inevitable. Some tips: There is a farmers market one mile up the beach walk towards Honokowai, easy walk on Mon/Wed/Fri. Best fruit and veggies on Maui. Go to vacation update breakfast, nice fruit and prizes as well as tour discounts. We did the "Wellness Center" yoga and water fitness in the AM...worth every penny. Snorkeling is great. Bring a mat or pay for a chair. We live year round in a beach community in the Northeast, I'm alway surprised that people think that the beach chairs should be free, I don't know any world class beach that does not charge for these amenities. There are plenty of supplies in the rooms, soap, towels, etc. and they will give you more if you need it.....and FREE INTERNET, wireless or plug in. and it's fast..we had 2 laptops and loved it. So bring the laptops and stay connected.

All in all, a wonderful experience. The staff will talk to you about anything if you take the time. The vendors in the lobby have some wonderful stories too, one nice young man told us about the whale that gave birth right outside the hotel.....Relax and enjoy all the island has to offer...this is a great spot.

Our family of 4 traveled in another family of 4 in mid-July '08 and stayed in an ocean-front 2 bdrm/2 bath unit. The adults are all in our 40's and the kids were all teenagers. We were assigned the top floor unit closest to the beach. The view was outstanding though admittedly not all ocean front units get such a stellar view. The complex's ocean front location was gorgeous and very romantic. The landscaping and pool were what you'd expect at a top notch resort. Snorkeling in front of the property is very good. We really enjoyed the two oceanfront lanais.

The North side has a more adult feel to it vs. the south, mainly due to the pool. The main pool simply meanders along the area between buildings 5 and 8, and is surrounded by groups of chaises. There was plenty of shaded seating as well as full sun. There are no slides nor any pirate ships to appeal to young kids, hence it was drew a more mature crowd. The pirate pool sits between the north and the south developments, so this draws a lot of the younger families away from the main pool. I never had any issues finding a group of 4 chairs together, nor was I ever bothered by screaming kids, even though it was mid July and high season (However, keep in mind that this was in the middle of the gasoline crisis when gas prices were above $4/gallon.)

The main pool also has a water volleyball court, which we made good use of. It's tough to find ways to bond with teenagers, but this did the trick. There was also a poolside hot tub which we enjoyed most nights. The bbq grills were nearby (tucked away near Bldg 8 pool, which was NEVER used) and were used quite a bit.

As far as the villas go, the living room of the 1 bdrm side is smallish but adequate for our two teenage daughters, who slept on the pull-out couch. They reported that the couch was very comfy. The bathroom was enormous (they should have reduced the size of the bathroom over the living room, IMO). The master bed was awesome. The lanai was large enough for 4 adults. A main table seating 6 or 8 would have been ideal, but we made do with the table for 4.

Our friends slept 4 in their studio side, with 2 of the pull-out couch and 2 on the bed. Their little kitchen was very useful so that they could make coffee, etc., without disturbing us. The studio bathroom was much smaller but certainly adequate.

The 1 bdrm side and studio side kitchens both lack an oven, which we knew going in but it didn't stop me from buying a frozen pizza at Costco. Oops. Had to cut it into 18 inch slices in order to cook it. Other than that, the kitchen came fully stocked and we really appreciated having it as it saved us tons of money on food.

I cannot over empasize how nice it was to have two washer/dryers in the unit, esp since the airlines are starting to charge for 2nd/3rd bags. We used them just about every day.

The free shuttle from WKORV to Lahaina was an awesome feature. It was so nice to have air conditioned, nice buses to take us to town so that we didn't have to stress trying to find a parking spot in Lahaina or battling over who was going to be the designated driver for the evening. The pick-up/drop-off times were convenient and well communicated.

The number of tennis courts they had onsite was completely inadequate for the number of guests. Both sides share just 2 courts. They don't have a reservation sheet and we had difficulty finding a court most mornings. So we ended up using the public courts across from the Sheraton instead. (Just another sacrifice we made for our sport.)

We ate at the on-site restaurant the first night we got there and I must say it was delicious. Of course, I could have eaten my right arm by the time we ate. I got french onion soup and steak. My husband got the seafood pasta special. It was pricey, of course, but a great start to our vacation. We used the poolside restaurant for snacks and cocktails. They could have used more alcohol in their Lava Flows.

Random musings: There's no easy way to get to the ocean front rooms from the parking lot. You'll be walking a lot. A small price to pay, perhaps, but it made lugging groceries and snorkeling equipment a rather long affair.

Getting to your room is akin to walking a maze. However, I appreciate the fact that they were maximizing the ocean view as much as they could with the layout. There are very few bad views in the whole complex. Certainly nothing that would compare to the crappy view that is the parking lot/highway view of the south complex. So while the layout is somewhat inconvenient, I'd much prefer to walk longer than to have a parking lot impede the million dollar view!

BTW, when we use our Starwood TSs, we NEVER answer the phone and therefore are never bothered by salesmen. Everyone back home is instructed to get ahold of us via our cell phones, which work great on Maui. So no complaints about pesky salesmen. :)

Great vacation! Beautiful beach Calm Warm water tons of see life (Big Turtles). Resort has park like grounds. Great dining on the property. Wonderful Staff. The kids loved the Discovery camp. Good fun For All of Us. Thanks.

this resort is on one of the best beaches in kaanapali. the rooms are very nicely done. the studios and one bedrooms which are together or can be seperated each have kitchen and laundry, two beds and room for more beds if necesarry. the amenities are awesome. there are many different pools bbq areas,2 nice outdoor bar/restaurants and a lovely fine dining restaurant. the pools are great for kids with a pirate ship and shallow water. nice hot tubs and right on the beach off the pool areas. having spent many years and maui and lived there and stayed at every hotel, this is as good as it gets as you have a full kitchen which the other top hotels don't. neing in real estate the westin timeshare set up is the best timeshare set up i have ever seen. fabulous resort timeshare

We just came back and we LOVED it! We've stayed at the Westin Resort on the main Kananapali strip several times in prior years but this location does not compare. I like the fact that we are able to snorkle in front of the resort also it is much more quiet than the main strip. Most of the people there are from the resorts and it just feels much safer here. The resort was not crowded and we were able to get chairs at the pool. The pool at the North property has a black bottom and the water was much warmer than the pool at the South property. The spa is amazing, I had a massage while my husband were at the pool with the kids. Both our kids are under 5 so we were not able to use the Kid's program. However, we did participate in the smores on the beach one night and Koi fish feedings. The restaurant by the beach was better than I expected, the pineapple burger tasted similar to the burgers at Islands restaurants. Much better than the pool restaurant at the Westin Maui Resort. Kids under 5 eat for free from the kid's menu. The villas are decorated good taste-not too Hawaiian, beds were heavenly and bathroom is huge. Plenty of closet space. Also, very convenient that there is a full kitchen and washer and dryer. The foyer area was roomy and we used as our mudd room (place for our boogie boards, stroller and shoes. It is also nice that there is room service, we ordered room service on the 1st night and the Hawaiian marinated wings were a hit. The food was delievered within 20 minutes. The general store is also very convenient, it is expensive but it's not that much higher than Safeway. Although we stayed in an Island View unit in building 5, we had a nice view of the ocean. My husband and I enjoyed many cocktails on the lanai as our kids were sound asleep. Highly recommend.

Beautiful location. Peaceful setting but close to lots of activity if you want it. The resort is amazing. A great kids club is available, and there are pools for adults and kids. The waterfront rooms are outstanding!

Recently completed my stay (May 19-24, 2008) and wanted to wait before submitting my review. I thought the time would help soften my comments about the resort.

Check-in was a good experience (once they found a room reservation). I was assigned to a one bedroom premium villa (ocean view). The room was nice but felt a little cramped when compared to other Westin Timeshare properties. Westin should publish the definition of “Ocean View” so guest will not be disappointed.

I enjoy the island of Maui and the property has a wonderful beach to enjoy. The pool area is too small to accommodate the guest visiting the property. Finding poolside chairs prior to the Memonrial Holiday weekend was a chore. The two main pools are connected and shallow with the deepest part at 4 feet. With all children and teenagers there isn’t much room for others to enjoy the pool. I don’t understand why the timeshare didn’t include a mega pool similar to the Westin Maui Hotel. There is plenty of room for an excellent mega pool and seating area.

With the pool area busy with little available seating I thought I would head to the beach. The beach was open and available with an excellent view of the neighboring islands. I went to get two chaise lounge chairs and was tackled by the Westin staff. I needed to rent the chairs on the beach. So let me understand, no chairs available poolside, but chairs for rent on the beach. The resort pounded my tab for $20 just to sit on a chair but I guess I could have paid nothing and sat on a towel.

The kitchen was nice until I wanted to bake a pizza and cookies. Beware – THE VILLAS DO NOT HAVE REAL OVENS! The unit has a micro wave / convection oven. The oven is small and cannot fit a much if you plan on baking. For example the frozen pizza did not fit in the compact oven. Otherwise the kitchen is fully functional unless you want to bake!

If I am on vacation, I want a vacation experience while at the resort. The Resort staff is focused and must be paid bonuses on sending guest to the timeshare presentation. I must have been approached by 5 to 8 resort staff each day asking if I had participated in the timeshare preview or if I wanted an owner update. While making reservations at the concierge desk I was assaulted by the same propaganda for the timeshare preview. Enough of the “Used Car Sales” approach and let me vacation. If I want to look at the timeshare program, I will ask for assistance. Heck even the guest owners at the resort are just as bad with the timeshare hype arguing who got a better deal and how many weeks they own. I wanted to ask which State and trailer park they came from.

If you rent a car, finding a parking space that is not “Compact” will be difficult. Trying to find a parking place in the evening is impossible. Otherwise you’re in Maui and what could be better. Pass on this Westin Timeshare Property and head to Kapaulua or Wailea for a better timeshare experience. Good luck.

Amazing property. Great for kids and couples. Rooms have great amenities. Food on property is excellent. Spa is wonderful. Numerous pools from which to choose. Only several steps from beautiful Kaanapali Beach. Best vacation spot ever.

We traded into this resort for a lock-off. We were give a different unit than the one listed on our trade documents from II. Our room should have been near the lobby with a view of the inner gardens. But this is what we got. Our view is partial ocean view and TRASH. We can see the ocean through the trees about 100 yards away. We have a lot of traffic noise when on the lani. Checkin was not good, we could not seem to get accurate directions to our room. Had we been give proper dirctions we could have parked within about 50 feet from our room. As it was it seemed to take about half hour to find our room. Our view is of recently cleared land with trash on it.

The room itself is terrific. Wonderful bed. Even though it is a lock off it has a compact but full kitchen including a washer and dryer. Some of the dishes are unreachable for anyone less than 6' 5". It even has a jacuzzi tub and a seperate shower with double shower heads. There is a couch but no chair.

And the lani was truly filty. We used several paper towels to clean the rail and had to put the tiny table and both chairs in the shower and scrub them with soap to get the red grim off of them. Even after that we still use a pool towell on the chairs to made sure we don't ruin some of our clothes.

We can trudge down a very ugly uncarped hallway with no windows, no pictures or other decorations with lots and lots of twists and turns to get to the lobby or pool or we can go by the recently cleared land or the underground parking lot. The hallway is at least twice as far. Elevators? Only near the lobby. Doors from the parking lot are unmarked so you just have to guess which floor they go to.

The staff here is very friendly and try very hard to be helpful. I absolutely would not buy here and doubt I will ever trade into here again unless I can get into the South property.

We have stayed at Westin properties in California and Arizona and liked them a lot. Sorry Westin, you blew this one on Maui.

Amazing resort right on beautiful Kaanaplai Beach. We had a thoroughly enjoyable vacation here at the Westin. Can't wait to return. Gorgeous rooms, ours was ocean view and worth the extra dollars.

My family and I just returned from the resort and thought that everything was great. We rented from an owner on Redweek.com and felt that it met all expectations. With two small children, the fact that you can use the facilities at both this resort and the original villas next door provides great options for swimming, sitting by the pool and dining. The only decision we had to make each day was which pool to go to. The appointments in the villa are first class. One thing to note is that although we paid for an oceanview unit, many of the units that are considered island view also have a great view of the pool and the ocean. It may be worth it to risk renting an island view. We definitly plan on returning to this resort the next time we visit Maui.

Stayed here in November 2007. Pool area is much quieter than the first phase, you can relax and enjoy paradise. Other pool at the older phase was crowded, and noisy with kids. Don't get me wrong I have a kid, but Westin planned the layout the way they did to somewhat separate the kids and noise from the main pool areas in the new phase. Which is a fabulous set- up because you have the best of both worlds in one shared property! I didn't notice the 50sq.ft. difference in the properties. I will pay more to stay in the newer phase do to the fact that I know none of the units face the PARKING LOT AND ALL THE STUDIO UNITS HAVE DECKS you can sit out on and enjoy the quieter beautiful Hawaiin weather.